OATMEAL COOKIES

It’s a beautiful day – at least right now – but more rain is in the forecast for tonight, tomorrow, the next day, etc. Mike is off on his bicycle right now, fearing that this may be the only chance for a while.

A fellow blogger reports that her muse went away because nothing is happening, and I can relate. Our days are very routine. Even the work in my little sewing room is “nothing to write home about,” though I am having some fun. I’ve compiled as many patterns for 18-inch doll skirts as I can find, and I’m pairing fabrics and trims to follow-through on some long-cherished, simple ideas. There’s something to be said for simple, uncomplicated projects. And besides, I need to use up some fabric from my stash so that I can buy more. (I can hear Jo-Ann calling me clear out here.)

Occasionally, I bake a loaf of banana bread or a batch of cookies. Mike says I’m a cookie-baking machine, but I hardly think so. Still, I’ve baked cookies since I was 10 or 12. Back in the day, my grandfather complained to my mother: “She always bakes those ones with the chocolate in them, and they leave a bad taste in my mouth.” So, I had to alternate chocolate chips with something else. I think he liked oatmeal cookies.

But in my opinion, homemade oatmeal cookies have a tendency to be dry, dense, and tasteless. I thought maybe I was the only one who thought so, but the other day a friend said the same thing. The last oatmeal cookies I made, Mike fed to Bess, and I had to agree they weren’t flavorful.

I’ve only had one oatmeal cookie recipe I thought was worth anything, and it’s one Mother brought to me many years ago. To this day, I don’t know what prompted her to hand me that recipe, but if it was because she thought it was tasty, she was right. Unfortunately, when I went to my old recipe box, I couldn’t find that recipe, and I was disappointed for the loss. And then I remembered – I have Mother’s recipe box – and sure enough! There it was! I celebrated by baking a batch.

Here’s the recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies

(Originally from the Lewiston Tribune – many years ago)

Cream together:

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Add: 2 eggs well beaten

1 ½ cup flour

1 t salt

1 t soda

1 cup minute oats

1 cup nuts (I used half nuts and half raisins.)

1 t (or more) vanilla

Refrigerate dough 2-4 hours or overnight before baking. Drop by teaspoon (I use a 1 ½ inch scoop) on lightly greased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Leave on sheet 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

These are flat cookies – even on the lacy side. And while the recipe says to refrigerate, I didn’t – the need for instant gratification, you know -- and they turned out fine. KW